


Your cologne stinks.

by hargrovinghard (longingfics)



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game, barbara is alive and thrivin, maybe billy's not a complete asshole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22728544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longingfics/pseuds/hargrovinghard
Summary: Steve was stuck inside a closet with Billy Hargrove for seven minutes and it was fucking awkward, to say the least. The fact that Billy went along with this was the most shocking twist of all. Something like this happening made no sense to Steve and he’d have never imagined it in a million years.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 3
Kudos: 122





	Your cologne stinks.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, harringrove lovers! Hope you enjoy this fluff.

Steve was stuck inside a closet with Billy Hargrove for seven minutes and it was fucking awkward, to say the least. The fact that Billy went along with this was the most shocking twist of all. Something like this happening made no sense to Steve and he’d have never imagined it in a million years.

This all started one friday night when Steve’s parents were out of town, which was almost every weekend. He had invited a few friends and as usual it grew into a bigger thing than he signed up for. On the other hand, he did see this part coming. Maybe it was his fault for letting people invite whoever they wanted but honestly, Steve couldn’t have cared less. He couldn’t handle being alone again in a big empty house. 

It took some guts but Steve figured it’d be better to talk than sit in silence with Billy; the school’s number one bad boy and grade A asshole. A really hot asshole but nonetheless. Speaking of-

“So... do you think aliens-”

“Shut it, Harrington.”

“Suit yourself, jerk,” Steve muttered. 

Billy was sitting on the floor across from him, one leg bent, and the other leg stretched out. His back was against the wall as he stared at the light above their heads, exposing his adam’s apple and for lack of a better word; cleavage. He didn’t seem to care that Steve had very little room to sit in this closet. It almost looked on purpose. Considering Billy, it probably was.

With his knees pressed up to his chest, Steve hugged his legs and looked at anything else but the blonde bimbo. His eyes searched the walls as if following an invisible fly. He tried to get his brain to stop imagining all sorts of things that he and Billy could be doing at the moment. 

A few more seconds passed by and he couldn’t take it anymore. 

“I blame Robin. She’s clearly getting rid of the competition.” 

Billy didn’t say anything. But he also didn’t tell Steve to shut it again. 

“Now there’s only one guy in that circle and she’s bound to get a girl to make out with,” Steve continued. “That sneaky lesbian.” 

That earned a smirk from Billy. Everyone already knew Robin was gay. But not everybody knew Steve was also _maybe_ , not very straight. 

“So, why did _you_ agree to this?” Steve asked, ready to get chewed out but Billy just shrugged. 

“Wanted some peace and quiet. Can’t have either with you yapping away though.”

“Too bad. I don’t plan on sitting in awkward silence with you.” 

“Awkward?” Billy finally looked at him, “you nervous around me, Harrington?” 

Was it Steve’s imagination or did Billy’s voice grow a little husky? A smile had crept up on his face, making Steve shift uncomfortably in his closet corner. 

Billy liked seeing Steve squirm, maybe a little too much. 

“Don’t worry, pretty boy. You’re not my type.” 

Billy expected a comeback. That’s what usually happened when they had their spats but the room was dead silent. Where was the eye roll? Where was the ‘Keep it in your pants, Hargrove’? The space was dim lit but Billy could have sworn Steve’s cheeks were as flushed as his lips. Steve the King had curled up even more into a ball.

“Aw, you gonna cry?” Billy teased. But the words left a sour taste in his mouth. Somehow it didn’t didn’t sound the same as his usual taunts. It lacked a certain kick. Like he was overcompensating for something? What the fuck was going on? 

No response, again. 

Sighing, Billy got up from his seat and scooched into Steve’s corner of the closet. With some half-hearted protest from Steve, they were both seated next to each other, shoulder to shoulder. He didn’t want to admit it but Billy was trying to get deep into Steve’s personal space.

“Your cologne stinks,” Steve finally spoke.

  
  
“ _That’s_ what you come up with after all this time?” 

“We have five more minutes, you should go back to your spot.”

“I like it here, thanks.” Billy playfully nudged Steve’s shoulder with his. “You tell anyone, I will have to kill you.” 

Steve giggled. It was soft and almost dorky. Billy didn’t get to hear that a lot.

Steve turned his head toward Billy and _wow,_ were their faces close! Maybe Billy’s cologne didn’t suck. Maybe Steve really liked the way Billy’s intoxicating scent was filling his senses. He was burning up from the furnace that was Billy Hargrove’s tight body which was generously pressed against his. If Steve was flushed before, he was red hot now. Could be the alcohol making its way but the temperature in their tiny space skyrocketed that very moment. If Barbara had been in here her glasses would be fogged up for sure. Instead she was enjoying a quiet night at home with her new girlfriend. 

The two fools in the closet stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like a wrinkle in time. Something intimate and unspoken lingered on their breaths. Were those chick flicks correct? Did it really feel like this when two people had a profound bond? 

_Chick flicks_ ? _Profound bond_? Steve instantly shook the thought out of his head and looked away. He cleared his throat which didn’t need clearing and for fuck’s sake, was Billy still staring at him? 

Three more minutes.

“Steve…”

_Shit._

“Hm?” It was all Steve could muster up. _Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look._

“Look at me.” 

“No thanks.” _God, why is his breath running down my neck. Do I need to pee?_

“Because you’re afraid of me?”

“What? No!” Steve abruptly twisted to face Billy out of sheer perplexity and their lips accidentally met. “Oh god! I’m sorry, du- Ow!” 

Steve had shot up from his seat and bumped his head into a shelf. Out of further confusion, he crouched down, tripped over Billy’s leg, and tumbled into the racks, knocking over a row of coats. It was truly a magnificent display if Billy had ever seen one. 

Billy was laughing, and it wasn’t like his usual douchebag laugh. This one sounded genuine. His strong arms wrapped around Steve’s slim waist, and easily lifted him from out of the pile of coats. It made the concussed boy even more dizzy, but in a good way this time.

“Harrington! People are gonna get all kinds of ideas after hearing that noise,” Billy chuckled. He still held Steve close, checking if the pretty boy had any bumps or bruises. Once Steve steadied himself and the two were eye to eye, Billy gently asked, “You good?”

“Yeah, I’m just swell!” Steve retorted, “can you give me some breathing room? I’m uh, it’s really hot in here.”

“Fine, princess. But you came onto me, remember!” 

“It was an accident!” Steve squealed. He had never felt more embarrassed in his life. “Sorry!”

“I’m not.” Billy winked, flashing his charismatic devilish grin. 

“You’re unbelievable, Hargrove.” 

“Bitches tell me that all the time. Usually in a happier way, if you get me.” 

Of course. How could he forget? It’s all Billy boasts about; bitch this, bitch that-sex, alcohol, and more sex. Steve wasn’t sure if it was the headache from the shelf bump or the limited amount of air supply in the closet but he placed his palm on Billy’s chest, and pressed him up against the wall. With the buttons on his shirt undone so low, Steve could feel Billy’s burning skin and quickening heartbeat under his cold hand. For once, Billy was the one looking like a deer in headlights. 

“Cut the shit, alright? You’re not fooling me. I’ve heard you couldn’t get it up for these _bitches_ you gloat so much about.” 

“Woah, man. Careful what you say now.” 

“Or what? You’re gonna beat me up? You’ve already done that, remember?” 

One minute left. 

Those words escaped before he could stop himself. Steve wasn’t sure why he brought that up. It’d been months. He immediately felt stupid because Billy changed in that moment. His hard shell of an exterior cracked and the soft yolk spilled out, to put it metaphorically. To put it literally? His gaze softened, his shoulders lowered, and his hands carefully fell to his side, no longer gripping onto Steve’s arms. 

“I’m... really sorry.” Billy Hargrove had apologized before. But somehow he looked even more sorry this time around.

“Forget it.” 

Steve backed off, removing the hand that was on Billy’s chest and pressed it against a wall instead. His other hand rested on his hip out of habit. About two moments passed and then, “S’fine.”

“What?”

“I said it’s fine. I forgave you a while back, really. You just rile me up sometimes. And I wanted to rile you up for once.” 

“Trust me, you rile me up plenty.”

“Uh, okay. Good... I guess?” Steve wasn’t sure what kind of expression Billy was making, but he didn’t dare look.

Five seconds.

“You might just be the only one who does.”

“Huh?”

The door swung open at that moment, letting the noise of the party in at full blast. You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC was playing. Robin had a big smile on her face as if waiting to catch them in some sort of compromising position. When all she saw were two idiots just standing there amongst a pile of dirty coats, a whole foot apart, her eyebrows furrowed. 

“Alright, Dick and Dingus, time’s up. Get out ‘cause it’s our turn,” Robin announced. Another girl was holding onto her hand, already looking eager to get in there.

“Don’t forget to use protection!” Billy teased as he passed her, giving her shoulder a friendly pat. 

Robin flipped him the bird. Some people in the circle laughed. 

Steve awkwardly left the closet, not being able to look anyone in the eyes. The washroom was his safe haven after the longest seven minutes of heaven. Seven minutes of hell? Couldn’t be sure. Luckily Billy didn’t follow him. Good! They can both pretend nothing happened. Steve should be happy about that, right? So why was he so disappointed when Billy didn’t come to find him for the rest of that night? Why couldn’t he stop thinking about that sliver of a kiss until five in the morning? He could imagine hearing Robin yelling, “because you’re in love with Billy Hargrove, ya dingus!” 

Heck. Maybe he was. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
